[Bob the brush]

Hi, and HNY to all. Not long owned my 216 Cabriolet, and absolutely lovin' it. Its my first 'car' as have driven vans for the past 15 odd years, maintained as a business expense. Now I'm putting my hand in my pocket and spending my own money on maintainance I need to be a little more careful. Tyres, all mine are street legal, 185/55 - 15 but a mismatched lot, and will need replacing, do I go for the cheapest economy range, or spend a little more and get mid range 'branded' set? If I go economy I will get 5 fitted, if branded, 4 and keep the best old one as a spare, so the cost will be approximately the same. Is there a world of difference, or are you just paying extra for the Goodyear or Avon name? I hope to do a bit of routine maintainance on the vehicle, I'm no mechanic, but a fairly practical bloke, and would like to get a few more tools, a socket set in particular. Is it best to get metric, or imperial, and if you could recommend a brand or type to get, your advice would be much appreciated. I thank you. Cheers.

[GTiJohn]

Regarding tyres, here is a good rule - Only buy a brand you've heard of !

I bought a car a while ago which came with Admiral tyres which were atrocious in the wet. Then I remembered that Admiral was an insurance-, not a tyre-, brand

There are many more than the old established Goodyear, Pirelli, Michelin, Dunlop brands but if you've never heard of them I'd be cautious...

There are many 'not-Premium' brands that are usually good value - one I'd recommend is Uniroyal. Their RainExpert3 is well reviewed.

One tip is to look at 195/50R15s (The R8 Turbo size) rather than 185/55R15, tyres as it is a more popular current size and is usually noticeably cheaper. It is the same rolling radius so your speedo will still be accurate.

Buying 4 is worth doing if one of your current ones is in good nick. Some tyre retailer or another is usually doing deals on 4 so you might not have to pay much more to get 5

Regarding tools, ebay and Marketplace are good places to find second-hand tools and Halfords usually have deals on their own brand tools at this time of year.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[moosemansjukebox]

I've been using Halfords "professional" brand tools for years - can't fault them for the price. I've done nearly all of my jobs on my 216 with a socket set, a spanner set and a torque wrench. R8's use metric rather than imperial.

There's lots of ways to get some extra money off them too, if you buy through cashback sites like topcashback/quidco etc, you'll get a few % off or if you have an AA membership, you'll get 10% off.

[StubbornPatriot]

I'd also support the Halfords Professional recommendation - remarkably robust at a reasonable price. Depending upon which set you go for, you might need to add a chunky breaker bar and, possibly, a 6mm spanner. If you sign up for their e-mails, you'll get notified when they're on special offer (and they are usually heavily discounted at such times, like 40% off). If you can stretch to the 200 piece set you won't find yourself wanting for much. I'd also always recommend a torque wrench. Axle stands are a must (and a couple of old bricks). A good quality set of screwdrivers - don't buy cheap, the tips will just snap or burr under any pressure. Pliers - a range of small and large, long nose and ordinary. An extending magnetic pick-up tool (you WILL drop a nut, screw or bolt into somewhere inaccessible). Trim removal set is also a must if you have to do jobs inside the cabin. Mole grips are always very useful and versatile. Sorry to say, but a hefty hammer, or mallet. WD40 / penetrating oil. Workshop manual. I've also found a spare scissor jack very useful. Presuming it's a K-series, if you intend to do your own servicing over a long period, you will find a camshaft locking tool very useful too. Two things you need to be equipped with, but can't buy - patience and circumspection. There are a lot of other things that are useful but you might as well wait until you have a distinct need for them. Don't forget plenty of old rags - especially to wrap around your knuckles when using the breaker bar! I'm sure other members will come up with a few more they've found invaluable.

[Kriss707]

Welcome to the world of owning a Cabbie, I've had mine 6 years & wouldn't be without it now.

Ref tyres, as a good rule always go for the best you can afford for the way your going to use the car. If you want to potter round on a sunny Sunday afternoon, hood down out in the Country, then Budgets are fine.
If you want to be a bit of a Boy Racer then you need something a little better.

Ref tools, again always get the best you can afford, tools are an investment. I've got cheap tools older than my oldest Daughter (30) & they're still going strong. I've also had branded tools that have failed in 10 years. The quality of, dare I say Aldi & Lidl, are pretty good at the moment & very well priced.

[Paul_1978_yorks]

As a rule, go for the best tyres you afford, mid range or above. As I read once, it doesn’t matter if you drive a Mini or a Ferrari, the tyres are the only part of the car that’s in contract with the road.

As for Tools, I’m a big fan of Draper products.
I wouldn’t be without my full size socket set (half inch drive) and torque wrench. You’ll also do well to get a mini socket set, again, a Draper one. I use it for all sorts, not just cars.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324354655564

Long nose pliers, and a screwdriver with a wide selection of screwdriver bits.

[itcaptainslow]

You’ll find many differing opinions regarding tyres, but mine is; absolutely don’t buy budgets. They’re awful. They wear oddly, are noisy, have horrendous wet grip and are generally a false economy. You’ll find something decent such as a set of Goodyear’s for not much more than the cheaper choices.

When I used to fit them (one of the main dealerships I worked at used to fit budgets exclusively to sales cars...) they were quite often a pain to balance up, requiring 60g odd of weights, no matter how many times you spun the tyre on the rim, and carefully aligned the dots with the valve. To put that into perspective, Michelin’s and the like used to require 10-15g usually...

Regarding tools-my Halfords Professional socket set has served me faithfully for 17 years; I’ve built up quite a collection of tools over the years, some of it Snap On (e.g. my CV boot clip tool), some Draper, Sealey etc. All of which I can recommend. A cheap socket set is again false economy and will give nightmares in use-they aren’t so accurately made, so will slip and round nuts & bolts easier, and will have thicker walls, giving problems for accessing fasteners in tight spaces.

On John’s tip of altering the tyre size; it’s not a bad one, just remember if you do so you will need to inform your insurer.

[Topcat Tomcat]

I agree about the tyres. A few years ago, I needed a couple of tyres for the back wheels, shortly before I took the Tomcat for it's MOT.

I think they were Sunny ones, and they were appalling. It felt like I was driving a supermarket trolley. I managed about 500 miles before I gave up and bought some decent ones!

[RoverRevival]

I’ve never had an issue with us pro tools since they bought out burgen. I also have a fair bit of of Halfords pro kit.
Intend to buy the us pro stuff so I can get 3-4 of an item (or 15 if 10mm) without breaking the bank.

That being said other than a basic spanner and socket set, it’s inconvenient but just buy the tool when you need it. It’s a rule I’ve always worked to (which is why I have so many tools).

Tyres, just buy to your budget, chances are you are not going to be taking the car out in the wet or snow and (hopefully) not driving like a pleb when it’s dry.

[Topcat Tomcat]

Tyres, just buy to your budget, chances are you are not going to be taking the car out in the wet or snow and (hopefully) not driving like a pleb when it’s dry.

You'll be pleased to know that Advanced Drivers don't drive like Plebs!

However, the tyres I bought made it feel as though the rear tyres were on castors! It completely ruined the driving experience. Instead of putting a smile on my face, I spent most of my time muttering very rude words!